Unite calls on Hammond to change direction and invest for long-term growth

Unite calls on Hammond to change direction and invest for long-term growth

Len McCluskey has called on the chancellor, Philip Hammond, to seize the opportunity to change direction and invest for long-term growth to avoid a calamitous Brexit.

Writing in the latest edition of Tribune magazine, the Unite general secretary says that, on behalf of Unite members, he wants the chancellor, in Wednesday’s Budget, to “set out exactly what sort of contingency planning and funding there is for new jobs”.

He says: “Manufacturing supply chains are undoubtedly the most vulnerable to a calamitous Brexit, which this government appears unable to avoid. So I want Hammond to establish a Brexit Support Fund to target investment where we most urgently need to build for our future, to free up sites and for new technologies, such as electric car batteries, in which the UK lags significantly behind competitor nations.

“Alongside support for reskilling and talent creation, let’s see government take a public stake, not just to prevent big business controlling the fund, but to send a message to manufacturers that this country is a place to do business fairly and with confidence. And let’s hear Mr Hammond announce measures to incentivise reshoring. There should be nothing in it for firms like Delphi Diesel Systems to move their work to Romania, attracted by hefty government subsidies.”